The idea of a nationally coordinated student strike
developed over a period of at least two years of growing
tension between the federal administration and minority and
student groups who expressed dissatisfaction with the
undeclared war in Vietnam, the military draft, and economic
consequences of the war. Coordinated by the National
Moratorium Committee (organized in June 1969), Moratorium
Days held on October 15, 1969 and November 15, 1969 included
the suspension of classes, neighborhood canvassing, protest
marches and petitions. The third week in March 1970 was
proclaimed National Anti-Draft Week. Planned demonstrations
were held at local draft board offices, and "we won't go"
petitions were circulated. In 1970, the Fast for Peace was
held on April 13, 14, and 15, as an expression of moral
concern about the war. In early May, student opposition
intensified with the knowledge of the expansion of the
conflict into Cambodia, President Nixon's April 3
announcement of his decision to resume bombing in North
Vietnam, and the treatment of dissenters in the United
States. On May 4, the day of the killings on the Kent State
University campus, "leaders of the National Student
Association and the former Vietnam Moratorium Committee
officially called for a nationwide strike of indefinite
duration" (Facts on File 1970, p.299).

At Smith, the Moratorium Days were occasions for student
involvement in the local community. Smith students staffed
the Green Street Moratorium office, canvassed residents, and
coordinated marches down Main Street with the cooperation of
local businesses. The first Moratorium Day was October 15,
1969 and was called Work for Peace Day at Smith. Smith's
Chaplain the Rev. Richard P. Unsworth participated in a
memorial service for Hampshire County veterans held at the
Unitarian Church. On the second Moratorium Day, November 15,
1969, a contingent of 250 Smith students and 10 Smith
professors attended the march in Washington, D. C to protest
the Vietnam War. In Northampton, the weekend of November 15
included a teach-in at Wright Hall, a silent march from Helen
Hills Hills Chapel to the center of Northampton and back, and
well-attended coffee klatches held in a number of Northampton
homes.

A timeline of activities at Smith during the May, 1970
Strike is provided below. During and after the strike,
alumnae and friends of the college became involved. On May
30, President Mendenhall announced that his office was
receiving 10 letters a day expressing opinions about the
strike (tape recording of last Chapel,../../70). Many
seminars were repeated during Commencement Weekend for the
benefit of alumnae and parents, and a video tape of many of
the strike activities was shown. The following organizations
formed at Smith due to the strike: the Strike Committee, the
Education Committee, the Community Action Committee, Union
for National Draft Opposition, Committee on Justice and
Repression at Home, Unofficial Committee of Concerned
Citizens, Committee on Governance, and the People's Lobby.
The activities of the People's Lobby continued beyond the
academic year, with students working in Northampton, in
Washington D. C., and in their hometown to spread information
and coordinate lobbying efforts. Several existing Smith
organizations took part in Strike activities; these include:
the Student Government Association, the Committee on
Educational Policy, the Faculty - Student Committee, and the
Young Republican Club.

May 4, 5 p.m.

At regularly scheduled all-college meetings, a few
students and a professor speak about strike issues, and
there is a discussion of race/foreign policy
distinction.

May 4, 8 p.m.

About 30 people opposed to the strike gather in
front of Neilson Library. Meanwhile at Paradise pond,
Professor Donald Robinson offers a plan for lobbying
Congress.

May 5

About 300 students rally at Davis to hear
speeches against U. S. action in Cambodia and in
support of Bobby Seale.

Smith students vote to strike, 1547 to 437 (12
abstentions).

Smith faculty vote to suspend all normal college
activities from May 6 to May 10.

May 5,ca. 11 p.m.

In response to a controversy over whether
President Mendenhall had announced the results of the
student strike vote at the faculty meeting, students and
professors stand outside the President's house in the
rain until it is announced that there was a failure of
communication and that a faculty meeting will be held the
next day.

May 6

At an all-college meeting, the Sid Waller '70
speech and the BSA speech, both contained in this
collection, are delivered.

May 7, 4 p.m.

The Government Department sponsors a lecture at
the J. M. Greene Hall on President Nixon's policy in
Cambodia.

May 7,5 p.m.

A student statement of purpose is read to 15 area
clergy and 40 Smith students at a meeting in the Helen
Hills Hills Chapel lounge led by the Rev. Richard P.
Unsworth and Rabbi Yechiael Lander.

May 8, 9 a.m.

A memorial service is held in the Helen Hills
Hills Chapel for the Kent State dead.

May 9

Smith students attend a protest march in
Washington, D.C.

May 10

Students from Smith and other area colleges
canvass local residents.

Black Panther Doug Miranda lectures in the Quad
to a group of about 300 people.

May 31

Commencement exercises bring the Student Strike at
Smith College to a close; however, many organizations and
students remained active throughout the summer.